The world has learned of a young Sacred Feminist in a tragic way. You have probably heard of the Taliban’s attack on fourteen year old Malala Yousafzai and her two friends in Pakistan. Today I “shared” a picture on Facebook. The cartoon read, “What terrifies religious extremists like the Taliban are not American tanks or bombs or bullets. It’s a girl with a book.” Brilliantly said.

Slate sums things up so well in their article, “Why the Taliban Fears Teenage Girls.” William J. Dobson says, “It’s not just the symbolism of a young girl challenging their retrograde Islamist vision that should frighten them. The substance of her ideas is lethal, too. Studies suggest that educating girls is about the closest thing we have to a silver-bullet solution for countries suffering from poverty, instability, and general inequity—or, in other words, the very conditions that allow a group like the Taliban to thrive. The social returns from girls’ education in these places are astounding and consistently include higher household income, improved child nutrition, smaller family size, a more active civil society, and better local services.” Sounds pretty good.

I want to know more about Malala, her parents, her community. How does a fourteen year old girl become a “well known advocate for female education?” Where did her courage and wisdom come from?

What Malala knows, and what has been proven, is that education of women changes societies. So, if logic prevails, and by my calculations, we could build a LOT of schools in lots of third world countries with the budget of just one of ourtwin engine F/A-18 Hornets which has a $94 million price tag. Why aren’t we?

Oh, and a word of advice to the Taliban: I have three daughters—I know how powerful a fourteen year old girl can be! Seriously, give it up.